i suspect that would happen. >> what emerged from the vice presidential debate on thursday mere clearly that was said on a national stage.

ahead of that deadly consulate attack in libya. last night after arriving in peru, clinton pushed back on the idea that president obama and vice president biden ignored warning signs. and clinton rejected any suggestion the white house was shifting blame to the state department. >> i take responsibility. i'm in charge of the state department, 60,000 plus people all over the world, 275 posts. the president and the vice president certainly wouldn't be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals. they're the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision. >> and today "the new york times" is reporting the administration is stepping up

efforts to help the libyan government create an anti-terror commando force, a plan developed before last month's assault. well, 70 million americans watched mitt romney's polished performance in denver and the white house is promising president obama will not hold back during tonight's pressure-packed town hall style debate in new york. the presidency could be on the line with tightening polls and election day just three weeks away. nbc's tracie potts has that story. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. the candidates hope tonight's debate are more engaging and both sides say they're ready. >> great. >> reporter: team romney, full of confidence. >> one thing i know for sure. mitt's prepared. mitt's confident. mitt's got a good presence about him. >> reporter: team obama with a cheer leader in the wings. >> i'm smiling, giving a thumbs up if i can see it. i assume that he can. i make sure i'm always giving

him that positive love. >> reporter: this second debate is a town hall format with questions from the audience and the candidates pushing their own agendas. >> these debates are giving us the ability to cut through the clutter and give people a very clear choice. >> there needs to be a more compelling economic argument made tomorrow night about why the obama/biden ticket is really the one that's going to keep the country moving in the right direction. >> reporter: aides say the president will bring up romney's vague tax map and the 47% he dismissed in remarks caught on camera. romney is sure to bring up administration's snafu on libya, originally calling the deaths part of a riot, not a deadly terrorist attack. the president is still ahead by two points, essentially a tie. condoleezza rice will be campaigning with paul ryan, the vice presidential candidate with the democrats, former president bill clinton and bruce springsteen, all of them in

ohio. lynn? >> tracie, thanks. nbc news political director and chief courthouse correspondent chuck todd tells us what the candidates should watch out for with the public asking the questions. >> you have to be careful. you can attack a moderator and win points with the public. you attack a member of the public and you lose points from the public. this race is at a nice edge of closeness. you no longer describe this as close. there are no more buts. mitt romney's biggest hurdle to the presidency is this issue of relate to the average joe or jane. well, joe and jane is asking questions tomorrow night. he pulls that off, he breaks through this one big barrier and the structural shift in the race that we're seeing state-by-state could continue and give them great advantages. for the president, of course, he has to repaint mitt romney as that caricature out of touch

rich guy. >> be sure to stay with msnbc all day long for complete coverage of tonight's presidential debate with live reports from hofstra university in new york. new this morning, major reform coming from cuba the government is easing travel restrictions, starting on january 13th. cubans will no longer be forced to acquire and present a complicated exit visa, a simple passport and visa from the country to which they are traveling is all that they'll need. the u.s. supreme court has agreed to decide whether the state of arizona can demand proof of citizenship to registered vote in federal elections. the law is not in effect this november and the high court will hear the case early next year and is expected to render a decision by june. here's your "first look" at some of the other news going on around america today. we are going to begin with a vicious beating. it was all caught on camera. new york police officers batter a homeless man for several minutes after he refused to leave a synagogue outreach

center. community leaders and legislators are outraged. man had permission to be there. police officials have issued a statement saying force was only used after the man refused to leave a woman's section of the facility. the spotlight on prostitution is going on during a case in maine. police have released the names of 21 people allegedly connected to a brothel run out of a zumba stud studio. more than 100 men are believed to be on the exercise instructor's klein the list. alexis wright is charged with over 100 counts of prostitution and other charges. scuba divers have scared up some halloween spirit. they did their best to carve jack-o'-lanterns under water. and this iconic sign overlooks los angeles. it's get a face lift. that happens a lot in hollywood. crews will use 110 gallons of

primer and 275 gallons of pain to give the hollywood sign a makeover. the last paint job was completed back in 2005. everyone needs a little touchup now and then. now for a look at your national weather, i turn to bill karins. i say that with no judgment. >> not at all. >> not at all. >> plastic surgeons are cringing. a little botox into the "o" on the side. >> how is the weather, bill? >> it's okay. it's a mild morning out there. no frost on the pumpkin this morning, though. warm pacific air is blowing across the country. at least for now we shut the door on the cold canadian air we got a taste of last week. the big storm system that's kicking up through new england is exiting during the day today. the southern half of the country from arizona and california to florida, everyone is going to see a relatively dry day today. just a few spots of wet weather. as temperatures go, we're in the 50s and 60s up the eastern seaboard, 40s in the great lakes. you need a light jacket this

morning. in some cases probably no jacket at all in texas. look at denver, you're even warm at 61 degrees. a few spots of rain. we have a little bit exiting new england. a few showers up here in the northern plains and a larger storm. this one will give us problems across the country. that's the next storm system we'll have to deal with. a few showers from boston to portland, eventually up there towards bangor. that will be exiting by the time the sun gets up. showers around duluth and the upper peninsula of michigan. that's about it. otherwise it looks like a nice travel day out there. breezy in the northeast and cooler yesterday. by nichb's standards it's a beautiful fall day across the country, lynn. >> we look forward to that. thanks. if you have a pet we have a food recall to tell you about. and the shocking appearance of the 9/11 mastermind khalid shaikh mohammed. and peyton manning's heroic comeback. [ female announcer ] ready for a taste of what's hot?

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khalid shaikh mohammed had his beard dyed a bright orange color. they were much more subdued than back in may. trial is still at least a year off. the 14-year-old pakistani girl shot in the head by the taliban is now safe inside a british hospital known for its trauma work with wounded troops. she is said to have hopes for a good recovery. george mcgovern, the one-time presidential candidate has been placed in hospice care. he is 90 years old and his daughter says he is nearing the end of his life. mcgovern lost the 1972 race to richard nixon. the families of those killed in the colorado theater shooting massacre will receive about 70% of the money from a $5 million donation fund. the rest of the money will go to those injured if they were hospitalized overnight. hey, look, the sun is out. all four of them.

amateur astronomers have stumbled on to a distant planet about the size of neptune that orbits around a pair of stars and even crazier, another pair of stars revolves around the planet. this is the craziest. incredible video from norway. it's painful to watch. the bar holding a base jumper gives way and flengs the man over the side of a 4,000-foot cliff. he was able to open his parachute, amazingly and he did survive. unreal. last night on the "rachel maddow show," robert gibbs says the tax cut just doesn't add up. >> there's a $4.8 trillion tax cut that no study that actually looks at the real numbers can come up with a way of paying for

it. into that, $2 trillion for pentagon spending and that's how they want to start the deficit reduction conversation. this is all a big ruse for how do we cut taxes for the very upper end and hope that it trickles down for the middle class. it won't work under mitt romney. >> the rachel show airs weeknights at 9:00 eastern. tonight she'll head up our special coverage of the debate beginning at 8:00 eastern right here on msnbc. the place for politics. now here's your "first look" at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. oklahoma senator tom coburn issued his annual report on billions of dollars in wasteful government spending ranging from $300,000 marketing caviar to $90 million in lost taxes because the nfl is considered a nonprofit organization. mitt romney's campaign raised $170 million in donations in september, a little less than president obama's $181 million and romney got more than 1

million contributions in checks of less than $250,000. mitt romney's wife ann will be on "the view" thursday. after mitt romney criticized "the view" on that secretly recorded 47% video, the republican nominee has canceled his scheduled appearance. and abc/"washington post" poll says president obama is now voters choice as a babysitter for their kids. the president has a 13-point advantage over governor romney. two motorcycles in michelle obama's motorcade collided in ohio. the police officer and state trooper involved were not seriously hurt. the first lady continue on to a campaign stop in cleveland where she told voters that in 2008 her husband won ohio by only 260,000 votes then she explained the math of what that means. take a listen. >> that's just 24 votes per precinct.

you hear me, right? 24. 24! we all know 24 people who didn't vote last election, right? and in connecticut, linda mcmahon debated democrat chris murphy who complained about audience interruptions. >> quiet, please. quiet in the theater. quiet. quite a crowd of supporters you have here, mrs. mcmahon. [ cheers and applause ] >> quiet, please, we're almost out of time, everybody. hold on one second. >> and the former world wrestling executives followers cheered so loudly her closing remarks had to be cut short during the live tv debate. and that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. and now here's your "first look" at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,424 after rising 95 points yesterday. the s&p was up 11. the nasdaq gained 20. overseas this morning, the nikkei jumped 123 points while

in hong kong, the hang seng added 58. news that americans shopped and spent more last month sent retail stocks on a tear monday. revised august figures and a 1.1% rise in september marked the largest gains in two years which adds up to good news for our consumer driven economy. citigroup drove bank stocks higher. the aclu is suing morgan stanley claiming it targeted african-americans for expensive and risky mortgage loans. nordstrom has stepped up its support of gay and lesbian employees by endorsing same-sex marriage. nature's recipe dog biscuits made with real chicken are being recalled for possible salmonella contamination. and southwest florida says residents are arriving about a month early. the average woman's shoe has

shot up more than a whole size over the past 30 years. and remember this, we told you about pizza hut's offer of a lifetime of free pie or $15,000 to anyone willing to stand up and ask the candidates if they prefer sausage or pepperoni on their pizza at tonight's town hall-style debate? a few more important things to talk about. the idea was half baked and have now moved their promotion online. good idea. >> one of the top health stories on nbc news.com, the government is investigating two more drugs made by the massachusetts pharmacy at the heart of the meningitis outbreak that's killed 15 and sickened hundreds more. the fda is looking into three new cases, one a possible case of meningitis that may be tied to a second steroid used for spinal injections. the other two cases are rare fungal infections that may be tied to a solution used in heart surgeries.

coming up, a colossal comeback. and your chance to own a piece of college basketball history. plus, it is a hit for a hit in san francisco. your sports headlines are straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪ i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? let me put you on webcan... ...lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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touchdown passes and tony carter and chris harris scored over turnovers by philip rivers as the broncos came back to win. baltimore ravens veteran pro bowl linebacker ray lewis will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn tricep in his right arm. to baseball now where the giants beat the cardinals, 7-1 last night, knotting the series at a game apiece. giants second baseman slugged a two-run sing until a four-run fourth inning for the giants. tonight, the yankees will face justin verlander in game three of the alcs. and finally, coaching great bobby knight is selling all of his three national championship rings from the time when he was at the indiana hoosiers as well as his gold medal from the 1984

olympics and various trophies, jackets, some other stuff. it's reportedly not because of financial issues, rather knight just wants to clear out some clutter. i always have that problem. all my trophies, put it on ebay. here's another look at the weather with bill karins. >> it's hard to believe. he's a little different. >> my bookcase is too full. >> he beats to a different drum. let's put it that way. >> let's give you an update on hurricane raphael, yes, it is hurricane season. bermuda under a tropical storm warning. it's about 840 miles off the east coast. some of the waves and swells will approach. that ill with be about it. otherwise, no effects. the storm exiting new england this morning the rain is just about over in boston. up in maine will be the last areas that get wet weather early today, especially around portland and bangor.

nice day from new york to d.c., not as warm as yesterday. it should be a ton of sunshine out there today. of the country will see a sunny, warm day. 83 in kansas city this time of year. i mean, that's almost getting ready to put the sunscreen back on. >> pull back out the shorts. big announcements from rolling stones and the golden globes. and president obama weighs in on a very, very important issue. the "american idol" feud. entertainment straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. but how am i going to fund it? and i have to find a way to manage my cash flow better. [ female announcer ] our wells fargo bankers are here to listen, offer guidance and provide you with options tailored to your business. we've loaned more money to small businesses than any other bank for ten years running. so come talk to us to see how we can help. wells fargo. together we'll go far.

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welcome back. time for entertainment newsp this this was exciting for me.

ricki gervais is out. the golden globe awards will be here on nbc. fay has received a nomination and poehler has received one as well. the rolling stones are hitting the road in honor of their 50th anniversary. they announced two november shows in london and two december shows in newark, new jersey. literally the best concert i've ever been to. during a radio interview, president obama weighed in on this morning issue. he says he's confident feuding "american idol" judges mariah carey and nicki minaj will go up. when asked to pick a favorite, the president chose carey. but he was quick to point out he

was minaj music on his ipod. >> let's spend more of his time on this very important issue. i'm glad that you've got -- >> forget the debate preps. this is the important stuff. >> i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tune. "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. tonight is the night. president obama, mitt romney, on stage together again for their second debate. the question is, what's the president's strategy this go-round? and will a night on long island have the impact a night a couple weeks ago in denver did? we'll talk live in a minute to mark halperin. four years after fighting barack obama in a presidential campaign, hillary clinton sent out in a round of interviews to take responsibility for the events last month at the consulate in benghazi, libya. does the white house think this will slow the barrage of